10/19/2010

Wild Ride With TFC

Richard Lautens/Staff Photographer

Once in a while an assignment can throw you for a loop. Last saturday night was just one of those times.

I was sent to cover the final home MLS game of the Toronto Football Club (that's soccer you know). There is always something special about the first and last games of any season and this was a wild one.

The first difference in this game was the crowd. The normal sea of red was replaced by green! A protest was afoot. The incredibly passionate TFC fans were fed up with rising ticket prices and the lack of quality on the pitch.

Even the über-passionate Red Patch Boys in the notorious section 112 sat for the entire game. I don't think the seats in that section have been sat upon in 4 years.

One of the normally vocal Red Patch Boys shows his displeasure

The action started out with the normal headers, slide tackles and goals but by the end of the second half it got strange.

TFCs Jacob Peterson gets a hug following his goal in the second half from Nicholas Lindsay.

TFC goalie John Conway upends Columbus' Steven Lenhurt after a collision at the net.

Columbus Crew player Lenhurt shoves with members of the TFC after being dumped

TFC goalie John Conway gets a red for his part in the scrap.

In the dying minutes of the game with the TFC ahead 2-1, Columbus goalkeeper William Mesmer leaves his net at the far end of the pitch to score the goal that tied the game! He is seen celebrating his goal as he runs past the TFC bench.

The crowd looked highly umimpressed as they acknowledged the TFC players leaving the field for the last home game of the season

Between the quiet crowds, the goalie fights and a goalkeeper scoring the winning goal, it was an odd one.